What are the benefits of frosted glass partitions?
As you’ll know from browsing our website, there are many types of office partitions on the market. With so many options available, it can be difficult to know which is the most suitable for your office.
While clear glass is the standard, often with manifestations of some kind, we’re here to discuss the efficiency of frosted glass office partitions. When you want all the benefits of glass partitions over opaque walls without compromising on privacy, frosted glass provides the perfect middle ground.
This translucent type of glass partition is ideal for creating an inspiring modern office with just the right level of openness to encourage productivity. Keep reading to find out why frosted glass should be your design element of choice when it comes to stylish and functional glass partitions for offices.
What is a frosted glass partition?
Sometimes known as privacy glass, this type of glass isn’t as transparent as regular glass. Instead, it has a more opaque or ‘milky’ appearance, with a slightly pitted texture on one side. If you’ve ever seen windows with a thin coating of ice in the winter, you’ll know why this is called frosted glass.
It’s possible to achieve the ‘frosted’ finish in several ways. First is acid-etching, which uses an acid coating to create a blurry, bumpy effect on one side. Second is sandblasting, which uses sand to abrade the surface into a rough, matte texture. Third is the easiest and cheapest option – simply applying a frosted film to the glass panel. These films are usually made from vinyl.
Since frosted glass limits visibility while still transmitting light, many people prefer to use it for applications that require more privacy, such as bathroom windows, shower screens, skylights, and doors. They’re especially useful for adding professionalism and decorum to office meeting rooms.
Advantages of frosted glass partitions for offices
We’ve talked about the benefits of glass office partitions before on the Glass Interiors blog, but how do those advantages stack up when it comes to frosted glass partitions? Let’s take a look at the perks that come with frosted glass office partitions.
⦿ Professional aesthetics
If you like everything that clear glass partitions have to offer, but wish they were more visually interesting, then the frosted look is a great alternative. Adding a decorative touch without being overbearing or blocking light flow, frosted glass partitions allow you to illuminate your office and maintain an open-plan-style layout while enhancing an atmosphere of sophistication.
Frosted glass also offers a unique way to display your brand’s logo or custom patterns that truly personalise your workspace. This helps to create a positive and welcoming environment for workers and visitors alike, boosting employee morale and impressing clients with an elegant yet practical office. These glass partitions look so much better than opaque dividers.
⦿ Enhanced durability
Just as clear toughened glass doesn’t break easily, nor does toughened frosted glass. Purpose-built glass partitions are manufactured to endure the general wear and tear of daily business in an office or home. If you use frosted glass film, it also acts as an extra layer of insulation, helping to regulate temperature and resist moisture. It can also hold the pieces in place if the panel ever does crack.
You’ll be benefitting from lower heating, air conditioning, and artificial light bills alongside long-lasting strength, safety, and style. In some cases, frosted glass can have UV filtering properties, so it can protect your interiors against radiation from the sun. This also helps your décor and furniture to stay fresh, as direct sunlight can cause gradual discolouration and give the impression of neglect.
⦿ Low maintenance
It’s true that clear glass can show smudges and other marks more easily, so they require a quick wipe-down at least every other day. However, the textured look of frosted glass can make any smears less obvious to the eye. This allows you to maintain a regular but less frequent cleaning schedule, requiring less time, effort, as your partitions will look good for longer in between.
When it comes to the actual cleaning, it’s just as easy to wash frosted glass with the simple combination of a damp cloth and soapy water. You won’t have to worry about buffing away any streaks as you would with clear glass, because they won’t show up as much thanks to the frosted finish. This makes frosted glass partitions especially beneficial for high-traffic areas.
⦿ Invaluable versatility
Since frosted glass has a slightly white tone, it’s neutral enough to suit almost every office design. Whether you have ultra-modern fittings or lean towards an updated traditional style, frosted glass partitions should fit right in. You can choose free-standing glass partitions for ease of movement, halfway-height desk dividers, or even floor-to-ceiling glass walls – whatever your office might need.
Not only are they versatile in size, shape, and positioning, but frosted glass office partitions also allow you to get creative. From frosted logos to inverse clear designs etched into frosted glass, there are plenty of ways to transform a typical glass partition into a valuable aesthetic addition to your workspace. They’re sleek and solid yet simple to install, dismantle, and move around as required.
⦿ Increased privacy
Most businesses want to foster a collaborative environment and a sense of community amongst their team, which is why the open-plan office is so popular in modern workplaces. However, having transparent glass everywhere isn’t always ideal – especially if you need to hold confidential meetings in a private area. This is where the blurring effect of frosted glass partitions and walls can be useful.
Whether single glazed or double glazed, all glass partitions should have some level of acoustic insulation or noise reduction. This helps to reduce distractions without completely isolating people from what’s going on around them. Frosted glass is a step up when visual privacy also matters, though you might prefer to use clear glass in some areas as well – mixing and matching glass partition designs is fine!
⦿ Open environment
Most people don’t want to sit in a dingy cubicle or a vast room under harsh fluorescent lights. These settings aren’t particularly inviting for clients or customers, either. If you want a harmonious office that optimises working conditions in a cost-effective way, then frosted glass partitions will have a positive effect across the board – from improving employee health to reducing your business energy bills.
The biggest benefit of frosted glass partitions is what’s known as ‘having your cake and eating it, too’. That is, you get the bonus of increased privacy without sacrificing a bright and open office. Retaining light diffusion while balancing connectivity and confidentiality is exactly what a thriving modern company needs – optimising productive communication and development.
Order frosted glass office partitions today
There are so many ways of incorporating frosted glass partitions into your office interior design, so they should be at the top of your list when the time for workplace renovations comes around. We offer a wide selection of glass office partitions here at Glass Interiors, with a range of finishes and manifestations available. Thanks to our bespoke service, you’re sure to find a solution that suits you.
To learn more about our glass office partitions, including frosted glass and other options, please get in touch with the Glass Interiors team. Call us on 02037 935 455 to discuss our products and services and we’ll be happy to assist you. Alternatively, you can fill out our online form or send an email to info@glass-interiors.co.uk. We’ll respond to your enquiry as soon as possible with more details.